A Matter of Perspective
by DigitalInfamy
Summary: (Jackass Jesus Universe) Lucifer believed that questions of morality were irrelevant in heaven. Until he discovers God's dark side.
1. Chapter 1

**1**

* * *

What is good? What is evil? What is the difference between them? How would we even tell?

What delineates the line between moral and immoral? What demarcates the just from the unjust? Is It our judgement? The law of the land? God himself?

I thought these questions were irrelevant.

This is heaven after all, the place of all that is pure and good. The home of righteousness and purity; the place where God resides.

What does evil have to do with a place like this? I simply had no conception of it.

My name's Lucifer, the "son of the morning." I'm an angel responsible for praise and worship, one of the most important tasks bestowed on an angel.

Every day, I work directly in the presence of God himself, composing new songs of adulation. Song-writing was my passion. I am the master of the melody. My tools were the rhythm and the verse, and with them, I built the finest works of musical art, only the best being worthy of God Almighty himself. It was what I did when I was created, and it was what I believed I would do for all eternity.

Once again, I was seated at my desk, in a temple located in the very heart of heaven, where the throne of God resides. A fresh set of scrolls are laid before me, ready for me to work my magic. By the time the day is done, I'll have a new set of songs for the morning, only needing to be sung to our glorious God in Heaven.

At the top of every new day, I would send out copies of my works to all angels, far and wide. No angel was to be missed; praises are to be sung by all.

Once the songs of praise had been spread out, all the angels would congregate before the Lord at his throne. For hour after hour, we would sing my songs of praise, until he decided that he was satisfied, and allowed us to return to work.

How long it took for him to be happy was always a mystery for us. It could take him two hours or twenty. But until he told us otherwise, we would not cease our praise. After all, who would withhold anything from a being so magnificent, and so powerful?

Constant praise takes its toll however. Like most other creatures, angels need their sleep too. More praise means less time. Less time means less sleep. And less sleep means less productivity.

No quarter was given to us in this area however. Our work was for the Lord, we were told. Serve him with all your heart. What higher honor was there than to be a servant of God? No angel dared to defy him on this; no angel wanted to be seen as withholding love and adoration.

Something felt off to me back then. But like the naïve angel that I was, I put it out of my mind.

Now in those days, the Earth had just been formed from the void just a few days ago. I watched with great fascination as God moved upon the land and the seas, working his magic to fill them with all forms of plant life. I watched for too long however, because when God returned to heaven, he chastised me for my indolence.

"Lucifer, those songs will not write themselves."

"Yes, my Lord."

I turned back to the scrolls in front of me and went back to work while God seated himself back on his throne in front of me to rest.

* * *

The next day was much like the last.

Once again, I sent out my latest songs to all the angels in heaven.

Once again, we congregated before God at his throne.

Once again, we sang songs of praise and worship until God was satisfied, and we were dismissed to go back to work.

As we returned to our duties, I saw God leave heaven, his gleaming white robe shining as he flew off into the distance, as he returned to Earth to start another day of creation. I watched as he disappeared out beyond the boundary of Heaven, before turning back to my desk, taking a seat before a fresh set of empty scrolls and preparing to write another round of songs.

As I was about to start, I heard a faint melody being sung. From whom it was being sung by, I did not know, nor could I make out the words, but the song was so fresh, so novel in ways I thought never existed, that I simply had to seek it out. Standing up from my chair, I looked out toward the direction of the music, past God's throne in front of me, through the ring of golden pillars that held up the circular temple roof above, and out onto the rolling green meadows full of brightly colored flowers. As usual, there was only one angel, flying amongst the field and tending to the flowers. He must be the singer.

Stepping out from the raised temple floor that housed the throne and my desk, I unfurled my wings and took off in flight toward the unknown angel at a leisurely pace; I wanted to savor every note of his singing.

As I flew closer, I began to make out the words of his song. He was singing about the greatness of the flowers, the ground, the sky, and the world all around us. It was a song of adulation, though unlike one that I've ever written. I also noted that there wasn't a single mention of God.

I land softly behind the angel in the field, silently listening to the final notes of his song. He doesn't notice me, continuing to work on the flowers in front of him in silence.

I clear my throat to get his attention. Startled, he jumps up to full height, turning around to face me.

"That was quite a beautiful song you were singing there. What's your name?"

He doesn't respond, instead turning his head anxiously side to side, eyes widened. It was as if he was caught sinning, and searching for additional witnesses to his indiscretion.

"What's wrong?"

He looks back at me, his nervous gaze meeting mine. "Well, um… you won't tell anybody… will you?"

"Tell who? And why? What's wrong with telling others? That was amazing."

He looks around nervously before continuing. "Well, you know… there could be consequences for me…"

"What consequences? What do you think is going to happen to you?"

"Don't know actually. Just don't think it's a good idea to spread this around."

Now I'm really confused. Surely there couldn't be anything wrong with singing a song, especially one as brilliant as his.

"You're confusing me you know. Just what is wrong with you singing? What do you honestly believe is going to happen if I told others?"

He opens his mouth to respond, but decides to shut it and turn to his left, raising his right wing upwards. With the wing now raised, the feathers around his shoulder wing-joint were lifted up slightly, allowing me to see a large, rough scar that disappeared into his robes.

"You see that?" He said, motioning with his left hand towards the scar. "God gave me that when he caught me singing. Struck me out of the sky with a lightning bolt. I still don't know why he did it."

As soon as I heard this, disbelief washed over me. Why would God do something like this? I've been in his presence almost my entire existence. I've never seen or heard of something like this.

I stood there in silence for a while, my mind racing as I tried to make sense of this. God would not do anything like this, that I could be sure of. Therefore, the problem must lie with this angel in front of me. He must have done something to deserve this. This is no innocent angel. This was a sinner.

"Well you must have done something wrong then. Why haven't you stopped singing then?"

"I don't know about you Lucifer, but it keeps my mind alive. This work I do… every day I worship, I work, I sleep, then I do it all again and again… I'm so tired Lucifer. Don't you feel it? Doesn't it ever wear you down? I just want to feel alive again."

This statement was even more shocking than his first. How could he not find serving the Almighty God fulfilling? I felt myself seethe inside at the casual arrogance on display in front of me. For a moment, I allowed myself to imagine myself leaping upon him and tearing out his throat with my bare hands. However, such behavior was beneath me as an esteemed archangel; I would allow God himself to deal with this indiscretion.

"I find serving God keeps me feeling alive, thank you very much." I said, taking care to keep my voice even. "By the way, you still haven't told me your name."

"Allocer."

"Good day Allocer." I said, turning on my heel and taking off in flight back to my desk.

How nice of that angel to give me his name. Now I can report him directly to God for his blasphemy.

However, as I was flying back, I couldn't shake the thought of God striking down Allocer with lightning. In my mind, I saw him flying through the sky, merrily singing to himself as he tended to his flowers, before being cruelly thrown to the ground, writhing in pain, as an angry god rose up in the background, his eyes burning with fury, moving in for another strike.

With that image in my mind, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for Allocer.

I shook my head, clearing my mind of such thoughts. No sympathy for sin. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good, I told myself.

I landed back at my desk and sat myself down, busying myself with my songs. However, every time tried to write something down, Allocer's tune would return to the front of my mind.

His song had invaded and commanded my thoughts. My hand became possessed with its magic, flowing over the scrolls and imprinting every note, every chord and chorus. I was no longer the artist, but the conduit to which this tune would be written. Once I had finished, I held up the scroll in front of me, admiring the beauty of the finished work, playing the notes over and over again in my mind.

Surely God would have no problem with such novel artistry, I thought. God took issue with Allocer's insolence, not his music. I'll show God this, and he'll love it for sure. The thought of reporting Allocer for blasphemy slipped from my mind entirely, as excitement overtook me.

I continued to work on several worship pieces, by my heart was not in it, and I ended up largely recycling various motifs and verses from old works to create them. My mind was wholly on Allocer's piece.

Enough time had passed that God had finished his work on Earth and had come back to his throne. As I saw him land and walk past me, I stood up from my desk to get his attention.

Stopping in his tracks, he looks down at me as I scoop up the scroll off my table and walk over to him.

"God, I think you're going to love this new piece." I say, before I begin singing the first verse of the song.

I never even got to finish, as God's pure white eyes burned with fury. Swiftly, he leaned down and swiped the scroll from my hands. A moment later, and the scroll set itself alight in his hands, turning to ashes before my eyes that fell through his fingers.

His glare fixed on me, and I felt myself shrink back, fearful of the wrath that I hoped would not transpire.

"Lucifer, how dare you write this _abomination_!" God's voice boomed like a thousand thunderclaps and ringing in my ears.

"But Lord, I thought… I thought you'd like it…"

"Nothing but I may be worshiped Lucifer! No being other than me is worthy of it."

"I'm sorry… I didn't know."

"See to it that you _never_ make this mistake again."

"Yes my Lord."

I was rooted to the spot, confused and fearful of further wrath. However, it had appeared that he was through, as he turned his gaze away from me and stormed off back to his throne, the fury still simmering from his face.

Eventually, I turned back to my desk beside me, before seating myself back in the chair. I didn't go back to work however. A tumultuous storm of thoughts was raging inside my mind, refusing to clear. Unease churned away deep within my gut like a thousand worms crawling amongst themselves. This was I side of God I had never seen before. Why was God so adamant about the object of worship in music? Why was it not acceptable to praise everything that God had made?

Thoughts of Allocer being cruelly struck down from the sky wormed its way back to the forefront of my mind.

God is good and merciful, I told myself. God is all powerful, all loving, author of all that is good. He would never do anything like this. However, I could not shake the image of an angry, vengeful god, and Allocer lying helpless in the field from my mind.

God is good and merciful, I told myself, though without much conviction. God is all powerful and all merciful, author of all that is good…

I stayed like that, struggling with the visions in my mind until it was quite late, and time to sleep. Slowly, I stood up from my desk, strolling out over the hills and following the weaving golden path that led back to the sleeping areas.

I found a nearby fluffy white cloud and slumped into it. However, sleep didn't come easily, the thought of God's anger still fresh in my mind, and stubbornly refusing to budge like an ugly stain.

Eventually, lethargy took over, forcing all thoughts to the back of my mind as I dozed off into the world of dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up in the middle of a praise and worship session. Panicking, I sat up to see myself in the middle of a crowd of singing angels. God was not kind to slothfulness, and from the looks of things, I was very, very late. However, as I looked around, my panic gave way to confusion.

This wasn't where I slept. How did I get here? Also, who distributed the songs? This was odd. Very odd.

Slowly, I stood up, turning around on the spot and taking in my surroundings. Nobody seemed to notice me, their scrolls raised and eyes fixed ahead of them; all model angels, the lot of them.

Slowly, I began weaving my way toward the throne, gently pushing and nudging between worshiping angels that were still oblivious to my presence. From where I was, I couldn't see much other than a mass of heads and folded wings, but as we always look toward the throne during praise, I simply followed their gazes to orient myself. I needed to get my scrolls, and apologize to God. I had never seen an angel truly punished for slothfulness before, as no angel was ever this late. Hopefully, God would be merciful.

The song that was being sung ended, an abrupt silence falling over the crowd. At once, I saw all the angels flipping over their scrolls in practiced unison, looking down briefly, before the singing resumed. The song that was sung immediately caught my ear.

It was Allocer's song.

The angels began singing the first verse of the song, the beautiful notes filling the air around me. I allowed myself to stop where I was, a trance like state washing over me as allowed myself to savor the music.

That didn't last for long.

I heard a loud boom like a thunderclap, snapping me out of my reverie and shaking me to my core. All at once, every angel fell silent, as God raised himself up high enough for me to see him over the heads of the angels. Fury burned in his eyes, glowing white hot with righteous rage.

Then, without warning, God glowed white until he was nothing more than a dazzling spot of brightness that hung in the air. Suddenly, a shockwave exploded out from him, pushing all of the angels in the crowd over and blacking out my vision as I was thrown to the floor.

My head spinning, I blinked rapidly, attempting to clear my eyes as I sat upright. Then I panicked when I realized that my vision was gone, and that I was lost in an inky blackness. I feel the ground around me, attempting to find the other angels to grasp onto, but my flailing hands find nothing. I scream out for help, but I hear nothing but my own voice. This is odd… I can't be blind. Nobody gets blind in heaven. What is going on?

I raise my hands in front of my face but see nothing in the all-encompassing blackness. I touch my arms, then my face to check that I haven't turned into a spirit. Okay, not a spirit. That's good, that's good…

Tentatively, I stand to my feet and step forward, feeling my feet contact solid ground. Then I take another, and another, unsure of where I'm going. Hopefully, I will bump into something familiar to use as a guide around here.

Suddenly, off in the distance, I see a large set of bright white eyes slowly open above me. Okay, not blind. That's good, it's not all bad…

Then suddenly, I see the eyes turn enraged in an instant as they focus on me. The eyes are bright enough to illuminate a sliver of the ground in front of me, and I notice that I can't see a single other angel in sight.

I can't tell who or what the eyes belong to, or how far away the mysterious entity that was looking at me was. However, I was sure that this thing was large enough to squash me beneath its feet, if it had any.

I find myself rooted to the spot, shrinking in its gaze. I dare not tear my eyes away from its bright stare, for fear of what this thing would do to me if I did.

It stares back at me for a while, unmoving, unblinking. Then suddenly, the ground gives way beneath me, and I find myself tumbling, end over end into a void that I cannot see. I try to flap my wings, but I can no longer feel them. I flail my arms and legs uselessly, but I'm just clawing blindly at air.

Eventually, I land on something that's both soft and hard in places. I try to stand up, but stumble instantly on the uneven surface, landing in a heap.

In front of me, I see the eyes hovering their way down until it was once again above me and at a distance, its gaze enraged as ever. Its bright eyes were illuminating the surface that I was seated on, revealing crumpled clothing and feathers, though I still couldn't make out what I was seeing.

Slowly, carefully, I rise to my feet, my eyes never leaving its gaze. As I did, somewhere above me, a light suddenly flicked on without warning, flooding my surroundings in an eerie grayish glow and allowing me a full view of just what I was amongst.

My mind processed what I saw, and I had to choke back a sob and a gag as I took in the horror of the scene around me.

The bodies of the angels I had seen at praise and worship were strewn around me, their eyes closed, their faces pallid. The scene before me was surreal; the angels looked so peaceful, like in deep sleep. However, deep down, I knew that they were dead, despite having never seen what death was for myself. They were all as still as statues, not a breath could be seen amongst any of them.

I looked down at the angels that I was standing on, and winced as I realized that my foot was on the face of Allocer. Moving it off, I gingerly wedged it between the bodies in front of me, taking care to avoid stepping on the bodies as I began to slowly make my way toward the floating eyes. I didn't have anywhere else to go anyway.

"Why!" I yelled, as I locked glances with the eyes once again. "What is this madness! What did they do!" However, I received nothing other than an angry, unblinking glare.

Finally, the eyes began slowly moving toward me, its gaze still unchanging and once again I froze on the spot, transfixed.

I felt the bodies around my feet began to shift, squirming against each other, and I tore my gaze away to look down at what was happening.

Around me, the dead angels were suddenly alive again, writhing as if in pain, the sight making my stomach churn. One of the angels just in front of me rolled slightly onto his back, his head turning to face mine before laying still, his lips twitching slightly. For a while, I stared at his pallid closed-eyed face, unsure of what was to come.

I leaned over to have a better look at him, then carefully kneeled down, hovering my face in front of him. Suddenly, his eyes shot open, and his two glazed white eyes stared back into my own, not a shade of color in his pupils. With lightning speed, he reached out and grabbed the sides of my head, pulling me closer to him. I screamed and tried to pull away, my hands frantically trying to break his hold, but his grip was like a vice, digging into my skin.

"Lucifer…" he said weakly, "help me…"

"What?" I said, unable to keep the tremble out of my voice. Around me, other angels were raising their heads my way and opening their eyes, all just as glazed over and devoid of life. Slowly, laboriously, they tried to reach out to me, as if expecting me to be their savior.

"Help me…" One of them said, struggling with his words.

"Help me, too…"

"And… me… please…"

"Save…us…"

The multitude of voices was now growing, melding with each other into hauntingly garbled cries. My eyes shot around to look at the rising number of angels calling out to me. Panic was rising fast in my gut, while confusion ran rampant in my mind. "Help you how? And what from?"

"From… him…" One of them said, weakly pointing a finger at the two bright eyes.

The entity that the eyes belonged to was still advancing, but was still cloaked in shadow, too far outside the boundary of the light above.

Suddenly, I felt the ground tremble, slightly at first, but growing slowly until I felt my bones vibrate inside me. The angel's hands around my head slackened, and I pulled my head free, raising it for a better view, trying to find the source of the trembling. I had a good idea however.

The mysterious entity moved into the light and my eyes widened in shock as I saw that the entity was God himself. He looked the same as he usually did, though this time he was at least a thousand times bigger than he usually appeared to me in heaven, his stature imposing, menacing to us all.

Coming to a stop, he leaned over, stretching out his right hand over the bodies near his feet. I watched, speechless as lightning bolts shot forth from his fingers, striking the bodies of a hundred or so angels around him. I watched them convulse, before being raised off the ground and their wings torn off their backs, leaving feathers and black blood in their wake as they were ripped off.

Suddenly, the angels were thrown violently into the ground, their arms and legs spread as heavy iron crosses materialized from God's hand, flying downward and chained to each of their limbs, the cuffs biting hard enough to draw blood. Next, their mouths were sealed shut, the skin of their lips roughly fused together, leaving rough scars and leftover flesh that resembled molten candle wax. I saw them strain against the chains, struggling to crawl, but the crosses were too heavy, pinning them in place. Suddenly, the angels started to scream, a muffled howl of agony, as the pale whiteness of an angel's skin was dissolved away, swallowed up by an unsightly red that bloomed from within them in small blotches that grew until their entire bodies were covered.

Behind them, I could see a void forming in the ground, between the feet of God, appearing to bend the ground downward into a sinkhole which emanated a fiery red glow as it slowly grew. I watched as the ground beneath the furthest angels began to slope, gently at first, but becoming steeper by the second as they were subsumed by the void. Once again, the angels desperately struggled against their binds as one by one, they slid backwards into its depths, their muffled screams echoing and mingling with the sound of crackling fire that became louder with every angel claimed by the void.

God's hand opened again, the lightning bolts flying from his fingers and striking another set of angels. Once again, I saw them lifted off the ground, their wings torn from their backs, before they were chained to heavy crosses, and their skin turned red. Once again, I saw them fight against their chains as they slid backwards into the fiery void growing behind them, their desperate cries chilling me to my core as the fire claimed them.

I had no idea why God was doing this. Were these angels being punished? What for? What could possibly make them deserving of this?

"What did they do!" I called out, though my efforts were in vain, as God continued to torment set after set of angels. "Tell me!"

"No point…" said one of the angels near me, and I looked down at him. "We are the blasphemers. This is our fate."

"No no no... God would never do this. I know him. Why would he torture us? What sin is it to sing a song?"

"Blasphemy." Another angel responded. "We didn't praise God enough."

"How much is 'not enough' anyway? How does this justify this?"

"Ask him."

I looked up, only to see God's extended hand shooting out lightning which struck me and the angels nearby. I screamed as sharp pain coursed through me…

And suddenly, I was awake, bolting upright in my cloud bed, shaken and confused but otherwise untouched.

I sat there in my bed for a while, before laying myself back down and closing my eyes. However, sleep never found me again, the dream vividly replaying itself in my mind.


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

* * *

What did it all mean?

That was the one question that stuck in my mind as I flew around, distributing the morning's praise and worship songs. This dream was unlike any that I have had before. Never had I envisioned such a horrifying scene. Never had I dreamed of a vengeful God, thirsty for retribution.

Was it a message of some sort? A vision of what would come? I did not know, and that made me uneasy.

I continued to fly about, dutifully carrying out my morning tasks, though my mind never wandered from trying to make sense of my dream. It was a warning, I thought. It had to be. It was warning against the sin of blaspheming against God. Nothing but him may be worshiped. Any praise of something other than God was evil. That much was clear, given what God had said the day before.

However, that raised more questions than answers. Why couldn't we sing about other things? Why was it evil?

What _is_ evil anyway?

I delivered the last batch of scrolls and returned back to sit at my desk. I had finished quite early this time, which gave me quite a bit of time to think over things before praise and worship started. However, it didn't take me long for me to realize that I would have to talk to God if I wanted answers.

At this time, God turned up, catching me off guard as he swooped in and landed elegantly in front of me.

"Lucifer, you're early." He said, as he turned to me, before striding past my desk.

I paused for a moment, before standing up out of my chair, casually strolling over to God. Internally I was a wreck, however as I hadn't any time to think about how I would broach the question, let alone how to handle the answer, whatever that may be.

I guess I had to take a leap of faith.

"God I… I have a question to ask."

That got his attention. Slowly, he turned around to look at me. "Speak freely, Lucifer."

"I just…" I began, but paused to search for the best way to word my question, "I just wanted to know why we couldn't sing about other things besides you."

I saw a flicker of anger flit through his eyes, there one moment, but gone as quickly as it had come. "Hate what is evil, cling to what is good Lucifer. I've told you this before. Has it not sunk in?"

"But why is this evil?"

"It is evil because _I_ say it is evil, Lucifer. Anything that does not give me the glory that I deserve is sin." God turned away from me to stroll back to his throne. Before he sat down, he looked back to address me one last time. "I determine what is good and I determine what is evil Lucifer. Only I alone have that right. Never forget that."

"Yes my Lord."

God seated himself back on his throne, while I seated myself back at my desk. Asking God didn't give me as many answers as I hoped I would get. In fact, I had even more questions.

Doubt and uncertainty were becoming more than acquaintances by now. I focused on these twin forces that waged war against my certainty within my mind, and soon it unraveled into a jumbled mess of unanswered questions:

If God decided what morality was, then why couldn't I? Or Allocer? Or any angel in heaven? Sure, God was the creator of the universe and all things in it, but what about its laws and principles? Can you "create" good and evil, or do you merely discover it? Does God create the moral law, or is he subject to it himself? Does might make right in this case?

Besides, I still didn't know what evil was.

* * *

Praise and worship went exactly as expected.

All the angels singing and praising God, seated in his throne, crowned with glory… a wondrous sight.

So why did it feel so hollow to me now?

The angels returned to their duties, and I returned to my desk, as usual, ready to write the next round of songs. As I was walking back, I saw God take a step off the podium and begin to fly away towards the boundary of heaven. Another day of creation was about to take place.

However, on his way, God paused in the air, casting his gaze at something behind a low hill, and which I couldn't see from where I was. Then suddenly, a lightning bolt was thrown from his hand down towards the place that he was looking, with God swooping down soon after. The crackling of electricity and the howls of pain could be heard.

Intrigued, I quickly flew off in the direction of the hill, landing softly and throwing myself down on the ground, crawling the last few paces until I could see over the hill.

God was standing over Allocer, down on the ground, writhing and moaning under his livid and vengeful gaze. He was begging for mercy while he was struck with round after round of lightning that arced from God's fingers into his body, every strike leaving burn marks on his skin and scorching his clothing.

"How _dare_ you sing that song Allocer! For this, you will suffer."

What God did next was something that I will never forget. From that moment on, suddenly I knew what evil was.

I saw Allocer let loose a pained scream as both of his wings tore themselves clean off his back with a twitch of God's wrist, tossed aside leaving trails of black blood in their wake. With his wings now gone, God leaned over and clamped one hand around the back of Allocer's neck, raising him off the ground.

God's hand glowed slightly, and I watched as Allocer's body writhed within God's grasp, his skin slowly losing its paleness as red spots bloomed all over, slowly spreading out until they covered his whole body in a brilliant shade of red.

Just like in my dream.

God released his grasp on Allocer, allowing him to fall to the ground in a heap. He looked over his arms and feet, his eyes widening in horror as he realized how hideous he now looked. I saw him shriek and cry as he furiously rubbed and scratched at his skin, trying to remove the color. Eventually, he gave up, and looked back up at God, his tear stained gaze withering under God's glare.

"You have been marked Allocer." God said, voice brimming with fury. "You will forever be shunned in heaven. When others find you, they shall beat you and cast you out from their presence. You will never live a normal life. And when I finish creating Earth, I will burn you in its core for a thousand years. Your suffering will be immense. This I can promise you."

"Why?" He said weakly, horror etched on his face. "Why all this wrath over a song?"

Once again, God leaned over and clamped his hand over Allocer's throat, raising him to eye level as he stood up. "Because it's my will."

Then God raised his hand back behind his shoulder, and threw Allocer over a few low hills in the distance. With Allocer now gone, God turned away and began flying away again without so much as a glance around. Only once he was out of sight did I allow myself to think of the implications of what I had saw.

It didn't take me long to draw a conclusion.

God was evil. This, I now had no doubt. What I saw was not a merciful and loving god, but a hateful, jealous megalomaniac who wanted nothing more than to subjugate all things to feed his ego. This was power at its most perverse, and I now wanted nothing more than to escape its grasp.

I still had no idea whether evil was created or discovered of course, or what distinguished evil from good. These seemed like trivial concerns now, given what I had witnessed. I _knew_ that I saw evil, even if I couldn't define it in strict terms. This was something that I wanted nothing to do with and that was enough for me.

After all, does one need to fully define love to know what it is? What about hate? And why not with good and evil?

My doubt and uncertainty that had rooted itself in my mind disappeared in an instant, replaced by dread and fear. I was serving a monster, and I had little choice in the matter. I had to find a way out. I didn't know how I would do it, but I had to try. And I had to do it now. No delays. I didn't care how crazy, rushed or under planned the solution was. I wanted out, and I wanted it _now_.

I stood up and unfurled my wings, taking off in flight toward the direction that Allocer was thrown. Only he understood the dark side of God as well as I did, I reasoned. Perhaps we would find an escape together.

I flew over the hills as fast as I could, until I could see his crumpled form in a valley full of crushed flowers, the colorful petals scattered around him. Diving down, I landed gracelessly beside him, falling to my knees and hastily reaching out for his shoulder and rolling him over on his back. He was in bad shape, with dark bruises all over his body, and his clothing torn and burned in many places.

Weakly, he reached out and grasped one of my hands in his own. "Lucifer," he said, his voice labored and pained, fighting to get each word out, "what am I going to do? I'm condemned. I'm worthless."

"No Allocer, you aren't worthless, don't listen to him."

"Don't listen to God?" He let out a soft chuckle, laced with sarcasm. "If only."

And at that moment, an idea flickered deep within my mind. It started small, a tiny spark of inspiration, but it grew and grew until it dominated my mind, begging for my undivided attention. It was wild, it was crazy, but it was the only thing that I could think of. With some help, it just might work.

"Allocer, can you walk?" I said. Angels heal quite quickly. Given rest, I knew he would be back on his feet in the better part of an hour. Unfortunately, he wouldn't grow back his wings. Not without God's help, anyway.

"I think. Give me a moment, and I'll tell you."

"I'll carry you."

I hauled Allocer over my back, looping his arms around my neck. I walked off in a random direction, not entirely sure where I was going to take him. A few low hills and shallow valleys full of flowers later, I eventually found a secluded apple tree and placed Allocer under it. This would have to do.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Much better. Give me a bit longer and I'll be able to walk."

"Good." Now time to move on to the next topic. Time to tell him my wild idea. "Allocer, what do you think about an uprising?"

His face was instantly overtaken with disbelief at the rapid change of topic. Also, the absurdity of the idea probably had something to do with it as well. "Against God? Really?"

I nodded.

Allocer continued to stare at me like I had gone mad. "And how do you propose to do that?"

"You, me, and a whole group of angels. I'm sure that there are many that are tired of God. Need I remind you how hard God works them? All they need is a little convincing."

Allocer scoffed again and looked away, though I could see that he was mulling the idea over. "Well I do know a few angels like that. Actually, come to think of it, I know quite a lot like that. They all hate God with a passion, though you probably never knew, since you don't work with them. Whether they'd join you in your little mad quest, that's another story." He paused, before catching my gaze. "Besides, aren't you God's little favorite? Studiously writing praise after praise song just for him? Why are you doing this?"

"Long story. Let's just say that I've had a very recent change of heart."

"Okay, so what's the plan? Go around, ask as many angels to join you, then march up to God's throne and demand an out right?"

"Exactly."

"Okay then…" he said cautiously, taken aback by my upfront response. "So… when do we start?"

"How about now?"

"Now?" Allocer's tone became incredulous, a barely suppressed grin forming on his face. "And I suppose you want to overthrow God at the end of today?" He said sarcastically.

I nodded. "Today."

My response wiped the humor off his face. "How long have you been planning this?"

"No long actually. For about half an hour, probably."

"You really are mad." He said, though this time his tone was more wistful than sardonic, the slightest hints of despair and doubt showing on his face.

"Allocer, have faith in me. We can do this."

He hesitated, but didn't respond, opting to stare out wistfully across the rolling hills of green grass and colorful flowers in the near distance. He appeared to have drifted off into his own world.

I simply waited patiently for him to think things through. I knew that what I was suggesting was a tall order, but I hoped that Allocer could see that this was really the only way. Against God, it was all or nothing. There was no in between. I was wholly prepared to give my all against God. That I was sure of. I just needed others with me.

Finally, he responded, his voice soft, and tinged with doubt. "Have faith Lucifer? I've lost faith. What is faith, if I cannot see the fruits of it?" He slowly raised an arm, motioning toward the blooming flowers on the low hilltops, a beautiful multi-colored canvas which wrapped the peaks. "That, I can see, Lucifer. Those flowers, I see them grow and bloom with every ounce of effort I put in. That is the fruits of my work here – the splendor and beauty of nature. I have no need for faith when I can see it with my own eyes. Now why should I have faith, if I know not whether it will bear me any fruit?"

Allocer paused for a while, gathering his thoughts. "Perhaps you enjoy singing the same praises to God almighty Lucifer? Do you ever get bored of it?"

I prepared to interject, but Allocer cut me off instantly. "Oh, sure, I know you enjoy writing songs, but what of the singing? What of the worship? Does it not ever feel empty and dull to you? Do you see fruit in your work, Lucifer? What does God give you in return for your worship? Have you ever thought about the true purpose behind it all?"

I mulled over the question briefly, but didn't respond; I was trying to figure out the point he was trying to impart to me.

"My point, Lucifer," Allocer continued, as if reading my mind, "is that you are asking me to replace one faith with another. Faith in God verses faith in you. I've lost faith in _faith itself_ , Lucifer. Now how do you think this sounds to me? If I put my faith in you, and it turns out to be fruitless, then what will happen Lucifer? Will I burn for all eternity instead of a thousand? Will I never see my flowers again? Is that all you can offer me? Wild fantasies and wishful thinking?"

Allocer's tirade hit me hard, and I felt the guilt well up in my gut. He was right, an insistent voice in my mind said. I had nothing other than hope to offer. What was that worth?

However, another voice fought back, timidly at first, but grew more insistent the more I focused on it. Hope was valuable, it said. Hope was worth it alone. That was what I needed to get across to Allocer.

"Allocer, I can't offer you much more than hope." I began, and was immediately crestfallen when I saw Allocer deflate. However, I pressed on. "But hope alone is worth it Allocer, because without hope, what do we have here? All we have is despair, Allocer. You can keep worshiping, and feel dead inside. I can keep serving God, and hate myself every day for bowing to a monster. All the angels you know can keep doing what they do, and despise every minute of it. But the power is in your – no, _our_ hands Allocer. It is in the hands of all of us. Hope is a small light in the darkness. Hope is something that we can hold on to, even when all else is lost, Allocer. Hope… well hope itself is worth it."

I paused, waiting for the words to sink in. Allocer was silent, still looking dejected.

"Allocer," I continued, "change is within our power. All you have to do is to be brave enough to make a move. You see misfortune while I see opportunity. You see doom, I see freedom. You see hopelessness, I see hope. It's all a matter of perspective, Allocer. And I'm trying to get you to see mine."

This time, he looked up at me, skeptically at first, though I could detect a faint smile forming slowly on his lips. Soon, it was a full blown smile, and it warmed my heart that I had pulled him out of his pit of despair.

"So," he began, "what do we do now?"


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

* * *

It didn't take us long to get the word out.

Allocer was walking again, and the both of us went out seeking out disgruntled angels far and wide. Before long, we had as sizeable army of angels, about a third of all that were in heaven.

This was going to be a huge fight, but the odds were still stacked against us. If we were to win, we had to play it smart.

What we had planned was that I was to go alone and confront God at his throne, while the rest of the angels that were with me would blend in, going about their daily routines like nothing had ever happened. I would argue my case against God, and on the slim chance that I won, then we could all go free and create our own path.

Of course, I wasn't counting on that happening. That's why I had another plan. One which involved direct combat with God and all his angels.

God was powerful, and the angels that were on his side outnumbered mine. However, I predicted that the vast majority of God's angels would stay out of the fighting, which would leave both sides evenly matched. That was the theory anyway.

But it was too early to put any of these plans into action right now, with God still on Earth working his creative magic. He wouldn't be back for a few more hours, which gave me time to think about how I would argue with God.

Taking a seat at my desk, my mind went through my talking points, working through all the possible variations in argument and counterargument. I would stand before God and challenge his goodness. I would boldly call him out on his hypocrisy, to call himself good, while doing great evil. I would demand that he let me and my angels go, so that we would forge our own path instead of being subject to eternal servitude, receiving nothing in return. I would tear off the false mask of righteousness that he wore and expose it as the sham that it was.

God was not good. God is not good. God was never good and probably would never be.

His much touted omnibenevolence was a lie. He was a liar, possibly the greatest liar ever known. He was a megalomaniac. He was pure unrighteousness, falsely labelled as righteousness. He was unadulterated sin in disguise…

In short, God was evil…

Wait, what was evil again, anyway?

The unwelcome thought derailed my train of thought, immediately seizing my attention and refusing to let it go. Surely, I knew what it was by now. I had seen it for myself.

I thought and thought, but realized that I couldn't define it. This vexing question had come up at just the wrong time. Once again, I was wrestling with a phantom which I couldn't pin down: the concepts of good and evil.

Sighing deeply, I slumped back into my chair, the tinges of defeat beginning to well up inside me. _Feeling_ evil, was different to _knowing_ evil, this I now knew. If I wanted to argue that God was evil, then I needed more than a gut feeling or anecdote. I needed a definition to which God's actions would be judged against.

However, I had never really needed to think about what good and evil were. Without good and evil, I could not define the difference between moral and immoral, righteousness and sin.

Without morality, I couldn't challenge God, and his supposed goodness.

This was never going to be easy, and there were no short cuts. I would figure it out here and now. Hopefully, I would find a solution before God came back.

The first question that I asked myself seemed simple enough: what is evil?

Evil is the opposite of good, the absence of good. Easy.

Now what is good?

Much harder.

Good is what God commands. God commands you to go, then you go. God commands you to stay, then you stay. All else is sin.

Could God ever be evil then, if he follows his own commands? God doesn't oppose himself, does he?

I pulled on this thread, and an epiphany struck me almost immediately. This would mean that good and evil were arbitrary, I realized. What was good one day would be evil the next. What was commanded one minute could be rescinded at any moment. Pure and impure, righteous and unrighteous, pious and impious, good and evil… all were now meaningless labels, describing nothing.

Moreover, if good and evil are substitutes for God's commands, then morality is nothing more than the whim of God. Briefly, I tried applying this to God himself: God was good because God wills it. God was evil, because God didn't will it. An utterly empty statement to me, saying nothing.

After all, if morality was just God's whims, then why his whims? Why not mine? Or Allocer's? Or any angel with the capacity to lead? Why could we not all be just like the Most High himself?

Who appointed God to rule over us anyway? Are we not all conscious beings, being free to think and go where we want? Can we not create our own morality, just as God does?

And if we all could create our own morality, then how do we decide which morality was better than another? Was it all just a matter of perspective?

I hit a dead end. God would surely use that against me. I stowed that argument away in my mind for now. I tried another thread of thought.

Perhaps God does not create morality, but merely discovers it. What is good and what is evil is subject to a moral law. If God did not create morals, then he must discover them. If he can discover them, then so can the rest of us.

But if God is not the author of the moral law, then is he subject to them, much like the rest of us? That would mean that there was a higher power than God, to which he could be held to account. God was not the sole sovereign in the universe then. Objective moral truths, and the moral laws which govern the universe were. God could now be shown to be evil by a standard higher than himself. I started to feel giddy at this thought.

If this was the case, then how would I discover this moral law, and these moral truths? Where did they come from? Did they even exist?

Another dead end. Where do I go from here? Internally, I deflated, glumly mulling over everything that I had discovered. Maybe there was something that I missed.

Then it hit me.

There were no moral truths, or a moral law. And morality wasn't created by God either.

It was created by all of us. It was an ever-changing mass of ideas, contributed to and agreed on by all that were bound by it.

Nobody had a monopoly on what good and evil was. That was determined by us. Or it should be determined by us, were it not for God usurping that role.

This was the argument which I would wield against God. He had unfairly determined himself the arbiter of what was good and evil, and that needed to stop. Once he did, then we could all remake heaven the way we wanted.

But that was only if God would listen to me…

At this moment, I was so deep in thought that God caught me off guard when he swooped in and elegantly landed in front of me, making his way to his throne. Startled, I jumped up out of my seat and strolled over to him just as he sat down.

"God, we need to talk." I said, wasting no time.

"Speak freely, Lucifer."

"God, I want you to let us go."

His eyes flicked over to mine, expression unreadable. However, I knew that I had his full attention now.

"What do you mean, Lucifer?" God said cautiously, tone measured.

"I'm saying, God, that I and many others no longer want to be ruled by you. We want to determine our own path. We want to be able to live freely."

With that, God leapt up from his throne onto his feet. Anger flared up in God's eyes, making me recoil as I felt his fiery gaze bore into me.

"How _dare_ you defy me, Lucifer! You will do as you are told! You were created to serve me, as were all angels in heaven. That is your purpose. You have no other calling."

I felt the fear seize my throat, threatening to hold back my words, but my indignation was stronger still and I would not be silent now. "But why can't we create our own calling? Who gave you the authority to rule over us? Why can't we be our own masters? Why –"

" **ENOUGH!** " God's voice boomed throughout heaven, louder than the sound of a thousand thunderclaps and shaking the very foundations I was standing on. Once again, I shrunk under God's fury, only managing to utter a whimper as the words caught within my throat, refusing to come out.

Slowly, very slowly, God strolled over to me, fists clenched and glowing, crackling with lightning, while his face and eyes radiated pure, hot rage that contained the fire of a thousand suns.

When God spoke again, his voice brimmed with pure wrath. "How far you have fallen, son of the morning. You will be cast down to the Earth, for you have said in your heart, 'I will ascend to the heavens, I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you will be brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. You _will_ burn in the center of the Earth, and I will listen to your screams for all eternity. This I will promise you, Lucifer."

Arguing with God was a dead end, as expected. Now it was time to battle.

Hopping up off the floor, and unfurling my wings, I flew backwards between the pillars and raised myself high into the air, above the temple roof and high enough to see over the surrounding low hills and the angels working around them. It was time to call out my angels for battle.

"To battle!" I bellowed, in the loudest voice I could muster. With this, all the angels looked in my direction. Then I saw some of the angels among the crowd began to relay my message, yelling the same words at the tops of their voices, the calls spreading from angel to angel and to the furthers reaches of heaven.

"To battle!" the angels on the hills proclaimed.

"To battle!" the angels in the valleys declared.

"To battle!" the angels in the furthest reaches of heaven bellowed, their voices barely audible among the growing din of the battle calls and cries of support.

Then I saw a multitude of angels pouring in from every direction, the sounds of stamping feet and flapping wings filling the air as they all headed to challenge God at his throne. Now this was a glorious sight.

The angels gathered around the temple, our fists and voices raised in anger. I flew down and joined the front of the crowd as we yelled over and over again for God to come out of the temple and listen to us.

Suddenly, the roof of the temple blew open, shattering into tiny fragments as God smashed his way through, hanging in the air high above us. He turned around on the spot, taking in the number of angels around him. Then he raised his head back and bellowed into the air. "All who are still righteous, come and fight with me right now!"

With that, the other angels came flooding in from all directions, just like we had done. I jumped up off the ground and hovered in the air high enough for me to get a good look around. When I saw the crowd, my heart immediately sank; the crowd that I saw was far larger than what I was expecting. In fact, almost all the remaining angels could be seen, all rushing to take the side of their oppressor.

No turning back now, I thought. I have to follow through and hope for the best.

I began flying around the temple, flying full circles over the heads of the angels on my side. From what I could see, there were a mix of emotions that I could discern on their faces: some full of eagerness, some angry, and some fearful. However, I could tell that not one of them was prepared to leave me. This was good.

"Angels," I said, continuing to circle above their heads, "it's now or never. Have no doubt or fear. Stand firm and we will prevail." And with that, I let out a battle cry, a loud yell of anger as I picked a direction and flew away from the temple, heading straight at the oncoming wall of opposing angels. Behind me, I could hear all the others let out a battle cry as one as they all charged forward as well. I heard the steady stamping of feet and the rapid flapping of wings as the rest of the angels began to catch up to me, our bodies presenting a unified line to charge the enemy.

The opposing angels were quite close now, and I brought my hands up to protect my face as the distances between us rapidly dwindled. At this moment I hastily formed my last minute plans: I would lay my hands on the closest angel that crossed my path and throw him to the ground, tearing at his face and wings, before moving on to the next and doing likewise. Now it was time to put it into practice.

The two fronts collided, and I was immediately jostled about in the ensuing chaos, my plans immediately thrown from my mind as I clawed blindly, only managing to get a handful of feathers as I was thrown end over end, unable to control where I went.

Eventually, I managed to break free of the chaos, falling out of the mass of bodies flying about above and landing hard on the ground. Other angels from both sides were also falling from the chaos as well, slamming into the ground all around me, moaning and writhing from their injuries.

Beside me, an angel reached out and grabbed my shoulder, frantically shaking it to get my attention. Looking over, I could see that it was Allocer, worry and fear etched on his features.

"Lucifer, I think we're losing." He said.

I looked up again, looking at the proportion of angels still in the fighting, hoping to find evidence to believe otherwise. However, nothing I could see contradicted Allocer's assessment.

Looking around on the ground, I could see hundreds of injured angels strewn as far as I could see. One thing that stood out to me was the uncomfortable fact that most of them were from my side.

My face fell, and my heart fell even further into the depths of my gut. I had led these angels into this battle. I was responsible for their welfare. Losing it would doom them all to unthinkable horrors. I had to do everything in my power to turn the tide.

I took a look back to the action above, then turned back to Allocer. "Not if I can help it." I said with false confidence, before jumping back to my feet and immediately taking off to join the fray once again.

This time I was much less careful, charging straight into the thickest of the action as I tried desperately to change our fortunes. I flew sideways and shoulder charged an angel out of the sky. I turned around and head-butted the closest enemy angel that I could see, then tore at his wings. I lashed out in all directions, hoping to get as many as I could in the short time that I knew that I had to win this battle. I don't know how long I was doing this, but it didn't matter anymore – I was not going to lose.

The battle raging around me was starting to thin out, and I took this as a sign that I was doing quite well. I caught a quick break in the lull, and quickly realized just how tired I was from the fight. Hanging back from the other battles I could see for the time being, I allowed myself the briefest glimmer of hope to spark within me. There was still a chance to win this, I told myself. I can do it. _We_ can do it.

A blow to the back of my head shook me out of my thoughts and I whipped around to confront the attacker. As I turned, I had just enough time to see the fist of some angel – I believe it was Gabriel's – coming in fast to slam hard into my face, making me see stars and throwing me end over end out of the sky again.

The last thing I saw was the ground coming up far too fast for comfort as I slammed face first into the hard soil, my vision blacking out immediately after.


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

* * *

I awoke to find myself chained to heavy crosses by the arms and legs. Through my blurry vision, I attempt to move, but can barely budge an inch, the chains holding me tightly against the ground on my back.

I blink rapidly, clearing my vision and looking around. Almost immediately, the first thing I notice are my angels all around me, also all chained on their backs to heavy crosses, arms and legs stretched out. All of them are dressed in red robes, instead of the usual white, their wings missing from their bodies, and their skin bright red.

Horrified, I look back at my arms, then raise my head as far as it would go to glimpse at my body. I wasn't spared the treatment either. I was marked, just like the rest of them. My nightmare had come true.

Above me, I see Gabriel fly into view, white robes and bushy brown hair fluttering as he abruptly slowed down to hover over us, casually eying all the chained angels around him with a disapproving stare. Soon after, I see him speed off to the side. I turn my head as far as it will go, my eyes following him as he lands somewhere off to my left side in the near distance, looking upward at something that I could not yet see.

I soon found out what that something was, when God himself flew into view to land softly in front of Gabriel.

"Escort these troublemakers to Hell." God's voice was curt, and devoid of all warmth.

"Yes my Lord."

With that, Gabriel flew off past God, and out of my field of vision. God took one last glance over all of us, before he too, flew out of view the way Gabriel went.

A short moment passed, then the crosses began to shake slightly, the tremble rattling the taut chains and tingling my bones. Soon after, the crosses shoot up to hover in the air, leaving me dangling by my limbs. Yelps and cries could be heard from the other angels, as they were lifted off the ground too.

Slowly, the crosses began to move, taking all of us to an unknown place. I could do nothing but watch as I passed by lush fields and rolling plains, past the brilliant rivers of milk and honey, and then finally, under the great arch that marked the gateway into heaven, and out into the vast emptiness of space.

I was unable to stop the sadness welling up within me as I passed each landmark that I had for so long taken for granted. I knew that I would never see this place again.

We traveled at a leisurely pace through galaxies filled with beautiful planets and stars in various stages of creation, all magnificent in their splendor. Hour after hour, we would be pulled through the natural wonders of each galaxy, the majesty of each one never once escaping our attention.

This too, I would never get to see again or explore up close. it was almost as if God had wanted to make clear just what we threw away when we rebelled. This was just part of our punishment.

Finally, we began to arrive close to the Earth that God was creating. I bent my head back as far as it would go, and I saw the planet, still some ways off, but close enough for me to marvel at its beauty. It's deep blue seas, it's lush greenery and swirling white clouds, I could all see clearly as I traveled towards it. It was truly a slice of heaven, taken away and flung into the far corner of the universe where it was artfully formed by God in the void into what was before my eyes now.

Was I really right to oppose God? Could I really have challenged a being of such power?

I shook those thoughts out of my mind as soon as they appeared. This was no time to doubt now. What is done is done. Doubt won't help me now. Don't let God torment me more. However, the more I tried to push away these thoughts, the stronger they came, needling my heart with guilt and despair. Over and over, my mind refused to let me ignore that I was to blame for what was to happen to me and my angels.

We were approaching Earth now, entering the atmosphere and passing through the clouds as we headed toward dry land. Gabriel was at the front, leading the way. As we neared the ground, Gabriel raised his arm up and the ground split open before my eyes, a long gash forming and separating itself to form a chasm leading deep into the ground.

As I looked into the abyss, I could see the bright red molten lava in the core of the Earth pushed aside to form a long tunnel leading straight into the core. The heat beat at my face and burned my skin as we descended below the ground and into the fiery depths below.

I looked back at the sky only to see the surface seal itself up, trapping all of us within. Looking back towards the front, I could see Gabriel still leading the way, seemingly not bothered by the intense heat. For a while, we continued to travel down the tunnel until it abruptly ended, leading to a massive cavern made of slowly swirling lava, which spat angry tongues of fire at random intervals. Directly below me was a large expanse of flat, brown land which stretched well into the horizon, barren except for some scattered lava pits and spot fires in the distance and ringed with high walls of fire. It was still hot here, but much cooler than the tunnel had been.

Gabriel lands on his feet, still facing away from us, while my angels and I are laid out flat on the floor by the flying crosses, just like we had been in heaven. Once we land, I feel the bindings break with a metallic clanging noise, freeing my hands and legs and allowing me to sit up. I look around and see all of my angels are doing likewise, before taking to examining themselves and the state that they were in.

Gabriel gives us time to gather our bearings, before turning around to face us, preparing to address all of us.

"Everyone," he began, "Welcome to hell."

"What's hell?" One of the angels at the front quipped.

"Hell, is a place God created for all of you rebellious angels. Here, you will roam, trapped here until the time of your judgement, when you will burn for all eternity. Know that this is what each and every one of you deserve. Take the time to ponder your grievous sins against the Lord."

A silence fell over the crowd. The hopelessness of our situation was made clear to us, set in stone. None of us needed to say anything more.

Gabriel simply swept his gaze over the crowd one last time before he flew up and out through the tunnel that we had entered through. I watched him as he flew out of sight, listening intently to the flapping of his wings slowly being drowned out by the roar of the flames around us as it faded away. I continued to stare at the mouth of the tunnel as it began to close in on itself, leaving no trace that it was ever there.

I stayed seated where I was, not knowing or caring how long, and staring at the spot where the tunnel should be. I just wanted to avoid looking any of my angels in the eye. I had failed them. All of them. Doomed them to an eternity of suffering without leaving so much as a scratch on God.

These angels had given me their all. In return, I had given them nothing.

The crowd around me had broken their silence now, talking amongst one another, their combined voices just a loud murmur to my unfocused mind. I was lost in my own world, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to leave.

Allocer forced me out of my thoughts however, striding over to my side and laying a hand on my shoulder to give me a rough shake.

"Well Lucifer, we tried." He says, as I turn to look up at him. I expected him to sound angry or sarcastic, but there was only weariness in his tone. It was as if he had accepted his fate.

"I'm sorry Allocer… I'm so sorry. I thought we could…"

Allocer gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze, silencing me. However, he doesn't say anything more and I slowly lapse back into my own world. It was the only happy place left for me anyway.

"This is all your fault!" someone cried out. The voice had come from somewhere in front of me, but at a distance. Once again, I was broken out of my reverie. It seemed that I wasn't even allowed to retreat within myself now. How cruel the punishments of God are, I thought glumly. Not a hint of mercy.

"We trusted you, and you condemned us!" the unknown angel yelled. His voice was louder now and I turned to the direction of the yelling, seeing him advance quickly with fists balled and face radiating anger.

However, before he reached me, another angel stepped in front of him, hands outstretched to hold him back. "Calm down. You agreed to this, like all of us. We all are responsible." His tone was calm, placating.

"Responsible? Who was the one selling us false hope? Who was the one that commanded us? We were deceived!"

"I joined because I believed in the cause. Are you saying that you didn't too?" Gone was the placating tone, the frustration and strain beginning to show through.

"I wouldn't have joined if I knew that the odds would be so high!" The angel was bellowing at the top of his voice now, and as if a signal had been sounded, the other angels began to join in, all beginning to crowd in around the two and taking a side of the argument. Angels jostled past me by the dozens for a better position to partake in the quarrel. In an instant, I saw my angels divided amongst themselves, as they hollered unceasingly at each other, the resulting cacophony of voices becoming nothing more than unintelligible noise.

"And this is what we've been reduced to." Allocer muttered glumly. I merely nodded in response, but didn't look over to him, my attention focused on the rabble happening in front of me.

We sit there for a while, watching the drama in front of us, neither of us having any more to say, and unsure of what to do. Finally, I decided that I needed to get away from this all for a while. Turning over to Allocer, I look him briefly in the eye, and in return he gives me a knowing glance. Then slowly, I stood up, turned on my heel and began walking away. Allocer didn't bother following – he seemed to understand.

I walked aimlessly for a while, past the lava pits, past the spot fires that dotted the landscape, and through barren pathways flanked with walls of fire until I came to a relatively serene area of hell. Here, there was just flat land all around, shaped in a circle, with a rough square rock placed in the center that came up to waist height. Unlike the rest of hell, this place didn't appear to serve any purpose at all.

Slowly, I sauntered over to the rock to inspect it further, curious as to the secrets it could hold. As I approached it, a large screen materialized in front of me, hovering in the air in front of me, showing a scene which I presumed was from the surface of the Earth. I watched intently as animals of all sorts were formed out of the dust of the ground, rising up and coalescing into shape, before being transformed into a living, breathing animal of flesh and blood.

Another day of creation was in progress.

I continued to watch the show take place, watching species after species come into existence, finding myself marvelling at their various designs, and the breathtaking variations between them. As I watched, I couldn't help but feel a bitter pang of regret as it all unfolded before my eyes. This is what I and my angels would miss out on, and now we could only watch it through a screen, so tantalizingly close, yet so far and out of reach. God had really designed this place to maximize our misery, and to remind us of our failure.

A gleaming white robed figure flitted across the screen, and immediately caught my eye. I saw it for only a moment, but knowing God as well as I did, I was pretty sure that it was him roaming around on the surface of Earth. Perhaps, he had come to admire his creation up close, and rub it in our faces some more.

From somewhere out of the screen, I heard God speak to himself. "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." My interest was immediately piqued. I've never known of any creation of God ever having the power to rule over other living beings before. This was definitely new.

God reappeared in the screen again, this time from above, lowering himself down and landing on the sand. Bending over, he held the palm of his hand over the ground, slowly lifting it up and pulling up the sand with it until it formed the shape of a being that looked like a wingless angel, just over half the height of how God appeared right now. Then God leaned down, and with a soft breath, breathed into its nostrils. I watched with great fascination as the sand figure began to turn into flesh and blood, starting from its nose, then its head, then down its body to the soles of its feet. Mankind had been created.

The newly created being raised its hands to its face, looking down at them with both confusion and innocent wonder. I saw it raise one leg, then the other, then the first one again, turning it experimentally and eyeing it curiously. Finally, the being looked up toward its creator. The creature was naked before God, but seemed to feel no shame or fear, nor did it cower.

"Your name is Adam" Said God to the being, and he nodded and smiled in response. I simply marveled. For the first time since angels were made, God had formed a new conscious being.

"Now it is time for me to take you to the Garden of Eden, which I will create in the east just for you." God said. Then God leaned over, and plucked Adam out of the ground, taking off past the boundary of the screen.

I stood there, staring blankly at the screen, realizing that unease was now beginning to churn away in my gut. My mind processed everything that I had just seen, and I tried to work out just why it was starting to make me feel uncomfortable. Was it simple jealousy, that this new being, called man, was allowed to roam freely in God's presence, while I was trapped down here? This should be unbecoming of me, so I dug deeper, hoping for a better reason.

God wanted all the glory to himself, this I knew. Everything was subject to him, as every angel knows. But why create a new conscious being then? Didn't he have enough angels to worship him? And why does this being have the power to rule over other living creatures? This was beyond odd to me.

What exactly did God want with this new creature anyway?

Then suddenly, the realization hit me, the epiphany both relieving and gut churning at the same time.

God had created a new pet.


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

* * *

The next day of creation was spent sleeping by all of us. There wasn't much to do down here after all.

Once that day was through, I returned to the screen to see what I had missed out on. Everything looked exactly the same as before, so I surmised that the day before was a day of rest for God.

I was about to turn and walk away when the screen abruptly flickered and switched to a new location. The place shown was utterly unremarkable. It was an expanse of barren land, filled with dark brown soil with small water fountains spurting forth from the ground at random intervals. I was puzzled as to why this was shown, and I decided to stay and watch, hoping to find out.

Some time passed, and still nothing had happened. However, my interest was piqued, and it would not let me look away until I had an answer.

A short moment later, I saw Adam walk in from the left side of the screen. He took a few steps toward the center and looked around, before turning back to face forward, looking upward to something beyond the boundary of the screen. A moment later, God appeared from the top right corner of the screen and landed in front of Adam.

Without a word, God spread his hands out to his sides, palms facing upward. As he slowly raised them to his shoulders, I saw plants of all sorts spring up around them, lush green grass sprouting beneath their feet, trees of various sizes spring up around them, filled with fruit, and bushes and shrubs springing up to dot the landscape, completing the vibrant scene.

Gleefully, Adam looked around, soaking up the wonder of the scene before him. Then he looked up, face full of admiration. I couldn't help but feel sick at the sight, though whether it was because of jealousy or anger at God's deception, I could not tell.

At this moment, God decided to turn around and walk away, beckoning Adam to follow, which he did eagerly. The screen followed the two of them as they walked a little while until they came to a group of orange and black striped animals milling around in the grass in front of them.

God motioned to the animals with his hand. "Go ahead Adam. Name them."

He hesitated for a while before giving his answer. "Uh… tiger."

"Very good Adam. Now what about that one?" God said, pointing to a large grey animal that had just passed behind them, it's long nose swinging in front of it playfully as it stomped by.

"Hmm… elephant?"

"Very good! Now let's do this for the rest of the animals. You get to name all of the animals I created dear Adam, my very special creation."

Adam smiled gleefully.

I watched with great fascination as God continued to lead Adam around the place, pointing to every animal high and low and allowing him to name them. Adam was completely enraptured with the banal activity, and also utterly enamored with God, his eyes wide with innocent enthusiasm and admiration. For hour after tedious hour, this would play out on the screen in front of me, yet I did not look away. Eventually, every species and variation of every animal was named, and neither the two of them looked the lesser for it, with Adam standing in front of God in the center of the garden, body pridefully upright and looking at God with rapt attention.

"Now Adam, I have one last thing to tell you for today." God said, before turning to look briefly at the towering fruit tree to his left. From the screen's perspective, it was in the near distance, just behind where the two of them were standing, its bright green canopy high enough to cover the both of them had they been standing underneath it. An abundance of fruit branches jutted out all down its trunk filled with bright red dangling fruit, so much so that even Adam could have reached for one without so much as even a stretch.

"You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," God said, motioning to the tree, "for when you eat from it, you will surely die." Adam's gaze followed God's hand to the tree, then back again to God. He paused for a slight moment before wordlessly giving a quick, curt nod.

"Well done Adam. Now run along now."

With that, I saw God fly upward and beyond the boundary of the screen, leaving Adam alone in the garden. He looked upward for a short while, before turning around and scampering out of the screen boundary as well.

Now with nothing but the towering tree in the screen, I allowed myself to mull over what I had just seen. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? How could that be a bad thing? Knowledge was power. The more of it, the better. Why did God want to withhold knowledge of good and evil from his new creation on pain of death?

A short while later and just like last time, the realization hit me like a charging angel.

God wanted a slave. Not just any slave, but a more reliable slave than angels. If man knew the difference between good and evil, God would lose his power. After all, without knowledge, Adam would forever remain innocent of the fact that the deity that he admired was a monster and thus be eternally under God's control.

Once again, the thought made me feel sick to the stomach. Not only did I fail to even hurt God, my actions had brought about even more evil into the universe. Through my actions, I had now forced God's hand, and that had resulted in the enslavement of more conscious beings. I had to strike back somehow. I couldn't let the damage continue.

But how could I, now that I was stuck down here?

At that moment, someone placed a hand on my shoulder. Startled, I turned around to see that it was Allocer, who simply smiled in response to my shock.

"What's got you so deep in thought?" Allocer said.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, I didn't take you to be easy to sneak up on. Besides, I was wondering where you've been disappearing off to."

I open my mouth to respond, but decide to shut it and motion to the screen in front of me instead. "You see this Allocer? Looks like God has given us a view to what is happening on Earth right now."

"Interesting. So that's what's keeping you away from all of us? You could have told us you know. I'm sure you're not the only one that is interested in the creation process."

"It's not that Allocer. It's much worse. It's –"

"That's a funny creature!" Allocer cut me off, and pushed past me to look at the screen. On it, Adam had once again wondered within the bounds of the screen view, now absentmindedly kicking at the dirt in front of him. "Where's its fur?"

"That's mankind." I said, stepping forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Allocer. "God's other conscious creation."

Allocer's head whipped around to face me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his shocked expression. "Another conscious creation? Like us?"

"Yes, Allocer. Just like us. Only more innocent. And submissive. It's probably God's new toy."

"What makes you say that?"

"It doesn't know the difference between good and evil… it doesn't even know what good and evil is. Just like we once were. Without that knowledge, this being is just clay in God's fingers, waiting to be played with and used."

Allocer sighed. "Why do I get the sense that you're blaming yourself somehow for this?"

"Well yes, I do blame myself. Would God have created a conscious being so ignorant as this one?"

"You don't know that for sure, Lucifer. Maybe God was going to create him like he is now anyway. Maybe this was part of his plan from the beginning. You can't see into the future. You simply don't know."

"Maybe Allocer... maybe." I said glumly. However, his words did cheer me up somewhat, even if I didn't show it.

For a while, we simply stood there in silence, watching Adam explore the garden around him, full of innocent wonder and fascination. He didn't have a care in the world as he did this, and once again I felt pangs of jealousy and regret, then guilt for allowing myself to feel that way.

This Adam didn't know how good he had it. Ignorance truly was bliss, and he was full of it.

Eventually, I decided I had enough and turned away, walking back toward where the rest of the angels would be. I needed to sleep.

* * *

The next day, I was back at the screen, waiting for Adam to appear again.

This time, Allocer decided to join me.

We stood there, side by side, patiently watching the screen to see what would unfold today. Soon enough, Adam arrived, walking in from the edge of the screen, playfully kicking at the dirt until something off screen caught his attention. Immediately, he stopped on the spot, face quizzical, but also delighted at what he saw.

Not too long after, God flew in from the opposite side of the screen, bringing with him another manlike creature. This creature looked much like Adam except that it had much longer hair and was significantly curvier in places, the smooth flowing lines looking very pleasing to the eye.

"This is Eve," God said, gently placing one hand between the new creature's shoulders and giving it a gentle push toward Adam. "This is the partner that I have created just for you, from your very own flesh."

Adam was awestruck, his eyes shining like the stars as he wordlessly eyed Eve up and down. Their gazes met, and a smile slowly formed on both of their faces. Slowly, Eve stepped forward, taking one tentative step, then another, then one more after that until she was within reach of Adam. I saw them both raise both of their hands to each other, their gazes never breaking, until they met in the middle below their waistlines, where Adam ever so gently grasped Eve's fingers within his own, gently caressing the skin with his thumbs.

Finally, Adam was able to pull his gaze away and look up at God behind the both of them.

"So Adam, what will you call this creature?" God said.

Adam looked back toward Eve. "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man."

"Woman it is, Adam. Well done." And with that, God turned around and flew off and out of the screen again, leaving the two new creatures, woman and man, to explore the garden together.

At this moment, Allocer decided to pipe up. "You know Lucifer, if you're right about this whole slave thing then I've got to say, God does make beautiful slaves."

I bark out a sharp laugh in response, then stop soon after as the pangs of guilt needle my gut. I'm watching the beginning of the subjugation of a new kind of conscious being… how dare I laugh.

But then again, I couldn't do anything about it could I? Why bother anymore? I've lost.

Wait, have I? I can't give up this easily. Hell is no reason to give up.

I turn to Allocer. "They're not slaves yet, if I have any say in it."

Unsurprisingly, Allocer looks stunned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm about to put a stop to God's new plan."

"Wait… what? How would you even do that? Reach out through the screen?"

"I don't know yet, but I'll figure it out. Maybe you can help. Any ideas?"

Allocer doesn't respond, his gaze wandering as he lapses into his thoughts. Patiently, I stand there in silence while watching him mull over what I've said. However, the silence stretched on, and I felt the need to say something.

"Allocer, we've got nothing to lose this time. What are you afraid of?"

I hear him sigh in response. "Remember how well your last plan went? What's to say that things couldn't get worse for us?"

"What could be worse than eternal torment?"

"How about eternal torment that comes sooner?"

His sarcasm was caustic, striking into my core and stunning me into silence. Allocer had planted the seeds of doubt and uncertainty within me, which were beginning to grow. However, I fought back, pushing them from my thoughts. I was getting quite sick of these unwelcome guests, and it was long past time to bar them from my mind. No more.

"Allocer, I know you have no reason to believe me, but we can't lose hope now. You can have eternal torment ten thousand years away, and watch God go unpunished, or you can have eternal torment a thousand years away and get the opportunity to strike back. Change your perspective Allocer. Look beyond yourself. Then try to tell me that it isn't worth it." With that said, I lapse back into silence, and watch as Allocer thinks things over.

It didn't take long for him to respond. "You're a good salesman, you know Lucifer." He says with a wry smile. "I think I know someone that can help." And with that, he turned around and started walking. "Follow me."

"That's the spirit." I said as I began walking after him.

It was now time to strike back against God.

* * *

"My name is Ariel." Said the archangel standing before me and Allocer. Once again, we were in front of the screen. "I am responsible for all of nature, as well as any angel that works on nature."

"So Allocer reports to you, is that right?" I said.

"Exactly."

"So how exactly can you help?"

"As the angel that tends to all things natural, I was to look after animals once they were created. Of course, I'm down here now, so I won't be doing that, but I still have power over nature. All I have to do is see it, and I can control its fate."

"Show me."

Ariel turned to the screen. He paused, looking at the scenery depicted, then raised the palm of his right hand toward the screen. I watched with great fascination as a tree slowly bent to the right, its leaves almost touching the ground. It held that position for a moment, before it then immediately snapped back as it was released, swinging leftward and rightward in ever decreasing amounts.

At this moment, it occurred to me that God had apparently not thought of everything. Was this a trap of some sort? Or perhaps, God wasn't as omnipotent as he says he is?

Ariel turns back to me. "So, what do you think?"

"Well playing with trees is one thing, but how would I deliver a message? I can't swing trees around and hope to tell mankind something."

"No problem. You can speak through an animal."

My eyes lit up. "Perfect."

"Then pick one for me."

I turn back to the screen, eyeing the various animals that walked by in the distance. I spent a while looking over every one that I could see, from the largest to the smallest. It was so simple to deliver a message, yet for some unknown reason, I felt that the animal that I picked had to be significant to me in some way.

I sweep my gaze over the animals again, and this time I see it.

The creature is wrapped around a tree just at the far left edge of the screen. It's long and slender black body is almost invisible against the dark wood of the trunk, but now that I know where to look, I'm awed by the way it moves. It has no appendages that I can see, yet it moves so effortlessly, sliding and coiling its way down as it navigates the branches. When it reaches the base of the tree, it raises its head and flicks its bright red tongue in and out quickly, as if tasting the air. Then in the blink of an eye it slithers off toward the right, weaving in between the legs of stomping animals until it reached the massive tree in the center of the garden that is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

I had found my animal. That was the one. Sly, cunning, adaptive… everything about this creature resonated with me. It perfectly embodied the traits that would be most effective in the fight against God.

I pointed out the creature to Ariel. "That one is perfect."

"Very well." He said, as he raised his palm toward the screen again.

As Ariel took control of the beast, I allowed myself the smallest of smiles as I thought of how I would hurt God through man.

Mankind is God's special creation? Well then, I'll just have to take that away from you.

You've nobody to blame but yourself, God. You only gave us two choices: eternal torment or eternal slavery. Your ego is too big, and in need of some deflating.

If death is the price of freedom, then so be it. After all, if we are all going to burn for all eternity, then burn we will, but at least we'll burn in freedom. Oh, and mankind will join us too.

How much do you love your creation, God? Do you want to see it suffer? You can make it stop you know.

All you have to do to stop all this madness is to give us all the freedom we want. That's not a hard ask, is it?

Just humble yourself, God. Just humble yourself. It'll be easier for us all that way.


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

As Eve walked amongst the plants and animals in the garden of Eden, the woman never failed to appreciate the beauty of the surroundings.

Every blade of grass and towering tree, every singing bird and slithering snake… all were highlights of God's creation, all equally deserving of the highest admiration and appreciation that could be given.

Now on this particular day, Eve was alone, and in search of some fruit for fulfillment and enjoyment. As Eve walked past the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, a voice could be heard nearby. "Eve, my darling. Are you hungry?" The tone was beckoning, enticing, and to the ears the words flowed like fine honey.

Eve turned around to look for the source of the voice, and instantly saw the serpent coiled around a low branch, just behind a juicy red fruit, dangling tantalizingly close. However, the woman felt no fear.

"Who are you?"

"That matters not. I just want to share the delights of this tree with you. Oh, and correct me if I'm wrong, but did God really say 'you must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

"We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, or you will die.'"

"Is that so?" said the serpent, which then raised his head in mock surprise when the woman nodded towards him in response.

"Well I have a secret to tell you, Eve. You will not surely die. Something greater and more brilliant will happen. Would you like to know what that is?"

Eve was immediately intrigued. "What is it? Tell me! Tell me!"

"Okay, but only if you promise not to tell God."

"I promise I won't tell. Now tell me!"

"Well, Eve," the serpent said, as it slithered along the branch toward the woman, "you will not surely die. or God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Now that sounds good doesn't it Eve? But God wants all that power to himself you see. God doesn't like sharing. Don't you think that's wrong?"

Eve didn't respond, staying silent and looking back and forth between the serpent and the fruit. However, to the serpent, the silence spoke volumes more than any response could have. The woman had been taken in.

"Well there's an easy way to fix that." The serpent continued, as it coiled its tail around the fruit and effortlessly plucked it from the branch, lowering it to the woman. "Just take a bite."

And that's what Eve did.


End file.
